DM Cancellation Rocks Super Bock

The Super Bock Super Rock Festivals in Porto and Lisbon, Portugal, took a knock when Depeche Mode was forced to pull out of the first leg of the festival, and only slightly more than a third of the ticketholders showed.

Jwana Godinho, a representative for promoter Musica No Coracao, said the company had non-appearance insurance and that it’s policy not to discuss the financial outcome of shows with the media.

But only 11,700 people actually turned up after Depeche Mode’s no-show was announced, which was due to singer Dave Gahan tearing a calf muscle during the July 9 Spanish show in Bilbao.

The band also had to scrap its July 12 show at the Sevilla Olympic Stadium in Spain, which would have been the last show of the act’s illness- and injury-plagued European run.

After the first show of DM’s Tour Of The Universe, in Israel at a sold-out 50,000-capacity crowd at Tel Aviv Ramat Gan Stadium May 10, Gahan was taken ill with what turned out to be low-grade malignant tumour in his bladder that required surgery.

Godinho said it’s still not clear how many of the 20,000 or so that didn’t turn up in Porto took up Musica’s offer to use their ticket to go to the Lisbon Super Bock at Estadio Do Restelo July 18 or how many will still claim a full refund.

The Lisbon show attracted 30,000 to see a lineup that included The Killers, Duffy and top Portuguese acts.